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June 23 Mt. Adams

6/15/07
WA Cascades West Slopes South (Mt Rainier)
4933
9
Posted by cem_terzi on 6/24/07 3:13pm
June 23 Mt. Adams

Snow condition terrible, all the way to the lunch counter mostly  sun cups, they are   large and deep with sharp edge and it is icy all morning. It  got softer late afternoon than it got harder again before sunset. I think This snow cups will  stay there this season
Between Lunch counter to half way to false summit (4 pm) it is OK softer  and crunchy with midsize ice but not corn at 4 pm the rest to the false summit it is icy . might need a crampon
Weather partly suny
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I camped at cold spring friday night. The night was very cold so evrything  was frozen. I started late to get soft snow. Sun cups all the way to the lunch counter. it gets little softer towards to lunch counter. I walked up half way between lunch counter and false summit . After that point it is icy. So I did not climb more. put my ski on and start to ski. Some one who is coming down ask me rope and told me  some one was broken his leg 100 feet below false summit.

I started to climb again may be I can help.  The Boeing Alpine  group was started to lover the solo person . I join them as a stand by in case they need my help. They did very good effort to bring the person lunch counter. it took 4 hour. He stayed at tent overnight at lunch counter. We started to go down at 9 pm.
Next morning Tacoma Mauntain Rescue car was in the cold spring camp ground to help.


Cem





It's good to hear that the climber with the broken leg had well-equipped company. While on Rainier Saturday, I'd heard the news and also inferred that the organized rescue effort was going to be an overnight affair. A tent must've made a huge difference for the overnight -  the weather had turned lousy at Muir by ~6:30 pm.

Kudos to everyone involved in the rescue!

The conditions sound a bit harsh, glad the injured climber got out OK. Was it caused from a fall and slide?
Approximately where does continual snow start on the trail above Cold Springs campground or past Timberline Campground?
I am assuming no snow or patches to about 6600 foot level on the trail?
How accurate is that? Can anyone clarify?
Thanks,
Joe

I did not have alt. as you said around 6600 or little bit more than that,
But it does not matter it covered with deep and large snow cup with sharp edges all the way Lunch counter.Not skiable

THIS YEAR THERE WILL NOT BE GOOD SKIING between SNOW LEVEL AND  LUNCH COUNTER !!!!!!!!!!
This is my comment .( I hope not. )

On the other hand surface between false summit to lunch counter is very smooth.(but Saturday was icy , not enough sun and high temp)
There will be a good skiing  only when temperature is high enough  to make the snow soft enough beatween Lunch counter and false summit level. If you look for a good skiing at Adams we should consider temp more than any things else now .
It might be good idea to focus on condition beatween Lunch counter and false summit  forget the rest.
IF THE FREEZING LEVEL 8500 -LUNCH COUNTER(AT NOON TIME) FORGET TO COME TO ADAMS FOR GOOD SKIING.
IF THE FREEZING LEVEL 10500-FALSE SUMMIT(AT NOON TIME) YOU MIGHT GET A very good skiing.



injured climber said his crampon stuck in the ice and fall down. It happened 100 feet below false summit.

Cem

Thanks Cem for the update.
That sounds pretty grim on the climb up with big suncups-gotta agree that a warmer day would be better suited.
I assume that the SW chutes would not be as suncupped due to their exposure.
Any others have recent reports?

I was planning a more detailed report today, but this should suffice.  Did the SW chutes yesterday -- awesome.  Weekdays are great.  No skinning bw CS and Lunch Counter -- I ended up packing the skis the whole way and the skins were dead weight.  Very firm climbing even on S face so crampons were helpful.  Though conditions likely will change, I recommend skiing off summit on far skiers left, which is somewhat east facing.  Yesterday there was about five inches of sugary wind deposit and smooth hard pack underneath.  The pitch is upper 30s in steepness and puts you in the fall line of a bergshrund.  It made for the finest south side ski off the summit I've ever had -- everything else is a nightmare as per other reports.  We descended at 11:00.  We descended the chutes a bit before noon.  Top quarter was the same sugary powder on smooth firm base.  Bottom 3/4 of chutes was perfect corn.  They should remain pretty smooth for a while (I'll try to add a picture when I put it on the computer).  Still plenty of snow up high and very little below 8000 ft. on southerly aspects.  The roly-poly stuff after the chutes is a mixed bag with some stretches of the worst suncups I've ever seen.  Still, we were able to ski (if you can call it that) to close to 7000 ft. before booting it to the RTM trail.  Might be some more fresh snow up there in over the next few days if the forecast has not changed.

Sounds like a great trip Buck!
Thanks for the heads up. Might have to leave the skins and bring some hiking shoes for the approach and exit?
After the SW chutes I normally do a lateral SE traverse at 7400 ft for about 1-2 miles back to the trail to exit.
Did you just down climb directly to the the RTM trail from the bottom of the SW chutes and walk out on a snow free trail?
Thanks for the info- great tour,
Joe

I'd go with approach shoes and leave the skins.  I've done the traverse before and did not much enjoy it.  I know some people prefer it, so maybe I just did not pick a good line.  I did what I normally do and just headed down the drainage to the RTM trail and all was snow free.  Enjoy!

author=Buck link=topic=7468.msg29822#msg29822 date=1182962904">
  The roly-poly stuff after the chutes is a mixed bag with some stretches of the worst suncups I've ever seen. 


Just in case anyone else was curious about the scientific explanation for suncups:

smart guy paper

I couldn't wrap my head around anything beyond the first 4 pages, but it's interesting to see the kind of research that has been done on the phenomenon.

I guess I should have more properly said that the "ablation hollows" were disconcerting.  I think I'd like to write a summer grant for more thoroughly expanding the breadth of research on this topic. 

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2007-06-24 22:13:38